Xibe embroidery
Xibe embroidery is mainly distributed in the eight Niulu where the Xibe people live in Chabuchaer Xibe Autonomous County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is one of the most skilled traditional handicrafts of Xibe women. It is said that Xibe embroidery originated in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Early Xibe embroidery has obvious characteristics of fishing, hunting and migration culture in northern China. Since the Xibe people were incorporated into the Eight Banners of Manchuria in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, their embroidery has been influenced by the embroidery skills of the Manchu and Han peoples. In the Qing Dynasty, after the Xibe people moved west to the Ili area of Xinjiang to garrison and cultivate the border, their embroidery craftsmanship was influenced by the embroidery of Uyghur, Kazakh, Russian and other ethnic groups, thus creating new regional characteristics. The quality of embroidery skills is one of the important criteria for measuring the character and ability of Xibe women. Being able to embroider well is a sign of a clever young woman, and is often the object of pursuit by young men. In the past, Xibe girls had to embroider a series of embroidery products such as pillow covers, quilt covers, cloud pillow tops, handkerchiefs and embroidered shoes before getting married, and take them to their husband's house to show their relatives and friends when they got married. Married women also had to embroider a carefully designed cigarette bag for their husbands, with auspicious patterns as the main pattern. Xibe embroidery is mainly used for clothing, such as cheongsam, vests, waistcoats, birthday clothes, official uniforms and military uniforms, as well as pillow tops, door curtains, purses, tea set covers, shoes and socks, doors and windows, curtains, wall cloths, tents, brocade curtains and other daily household items. The embroidery patterns are mostly various animals and plants that express auspicious meanings, such as peonies, cranes, dragons, etc. The embroidery needlework mainly includes beading, embroidery, inlay, color lacquer, gold painting, carving, weaving, applique, gold and silver thread, patchwork, cross-stitching, and tying flowers. Xibe embroidery has been passed down from generation to generation to this day. As a traditional cultural heritage of the Xibe people, it shows its unique charm and value. (No pictures available, please provide them.) (No pictures available, please provide them.)